88
SA STYLE AUTUMN 2O18
/ WEDDINGS #JOSEPHUZUMCU /
WHAT YOU LEARN
IN THE BAZAAR CANNOT
BE TAUGHT IN A SCHOOL;
THE MARKETING, THE
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
THE COMMERCE CANNOT
BE FOUND IN ANY KIND
OF TEXT BOOK.
“
Bustling market places teaming with
people, noise and chaos was Adelaide’s
Joseph Uzumcu’s introduction to the
world of fashion. An unlikely start,
perhaps, but for this accomplished
fashion veteran it was an experience that
has stayed with him, influencing his ethos
and ultimately starting him on the road
to success.
“My mother took me to the bazaars of
Istanbul and paid a store owner to teach
me the ways,” he remembers. “It was
interesting because it is unheard of these
days, everyone wants to be paid to work,
you don’t usually hear of it being the
other way around.”
Days spent working alongside
experienced tailors and convincing
salesmen left a powerful impression –
“what you learn in the bazaar cannot be
taught in a school; the marketing, the
customer service and the commerce
cannot be found in any kind of text
book” – and these skills have become
the foundation of Joseph’s successful
Adelaide business, and have remained so
for the past 32 years.
During this time there has been an
unmistakable shift in Adelaide’s fashion
scene, in fact Joseph goes as far as to say
that Adelaide is now in close competition
with Melbourne and Sydney. “Today’s
generation knows too much about
fashion," he continues, "they know
the fit they want, the style they want
and the colours. I think social media
has had a huge part to play in this;
the younger generation turn to Instagram
and Pinterest and in a second they are
able to see what’s happening on the
streets of Milan or Paris and who is
wearing what. They understandably
want to be able to replicate the look.”
According to Joseph, the knowledgeable
customer is good for business though,
and people are now returning to
custom-made suits for this very reason.
“A custom-made suit allows for choice,”
says Joseph, “they can choose double-
breasted, wider lapels or bold prints.
They all want thin, thin, thin and we are
therefore seeing a lot of soft shoulders
to accommodate this.”
It’s this attention to detail and exemplary
customer service that has enabled Joseph
to stand the test of time in an industry
that so frequently swallows the smaller
player – a game changer that was learnt
all those years ago in Istanbul’s vibrant
bazaars. But, ever humble, Joseph is quick
to say that the businesses success has as
much to do with his wife, Melena, as it has
to do with him. “Being able to work with
my wife by my side every day is the best
thing, and the business really is as much
her achievement as it is mine,” he says.
Of Style and
Substance
From the bazaars of Istanbul to the laneways
of Adelaide’s bustling CBD, Joseph Uzumcu
lives and breathes fashion. And he knows
a thing or two about romance, too!